The Washington Post posted a video clip of the Shengyou attack. (registration required).
Editor’s Note: This video contains violent content. washingtonpost.com presents the original, unedited version as it was received.
A farmer in Shengyou, China, videotaped hundreds of armed men attacking a group of local farmers. According to witness accounts, the group was resisting government demands to surrender land to a state-owned power plant.

See also Philip Pan’s very good accompanying article on the attack. UPDATE: (1) China orders media silence on village clash from ABC News Online. (2) Thanks to David Kelly for the translation of a news article from sina.com on this event.
Note from the translator: This is my translation. (left rough in the interests of immediacy) It has many points of interest, including references to the petition system in the final paragraphs. Note also apparent use of internet by media to trace Liu Baoling’s credentials (second-last paragraph). Liu’s makeover of “big petition county” Quyang was reported at here on People’s Daily.
David Kelly

East Asian Institute

Singapore
15 June 2005
Dingzhou (Hebei) Party Branch Secretary meets family of villagers killed in raid
New Hebei Province Dingzhou municipal party committee Secretary Liu Baoling visited relatives of people who died in a raid in Shengyou village, handing over 30,000 yuan as a compassionate payment and 20,000 yuan for burial expense. The villagers indicated they believe the government, and are willing hand Zhu Xiaorui, whom they detained previously, over to the police.
Before this on June 11 before dawn, 2-300 persons of unclear status attacked villagers of Shengyou who lived shacks on waste land, leading to at least 6 deaths and dozens of injured. On June 13, The Hebei provincial party committee dismissed Dingzhou’s former municipal party committee secretary and mayor.
Yesterday morning, in the Shengyou village commission yard, ... « Back to Article